World Gravel Championships – The Grand Finale

The season finale. The conclusion of a wild, unforgettable year. The last dance for the Ribble Outliers in 2025, and what a stage to end on, the UCI World Gravel Championships!

For one weekend only, the team traded in our trademark pink kit for the red, white, and blue of Great Britain. Just pulling on that national jersey is a special feeling, a reminder that every long ride, muddy race, hard interval is worth the effort. My first World Championships was way back in 2012, racing mountain bikes. Fast forward to 2025 and I’m here in the Netherlands, lining up among the best gravel riders on the planet. Almost 3000 riders from 53 countries, the scale of it was mind-blowing.

The team travelled to the rolling hills of southern Limburg on Wednesday, early enough to recon the course Thursday and Friday. Even then, the buzz was electric, barriers going up, media and exhibitors everywhere, the hum of excitement that only Worlds can bring. The course was fast and punchy, snaking through small climbs, narrow lanes, and classic Dutch farm tracks. It was clear, this was going to be a full gas battle from start to finish.

Saturday was all about the women and the atmosphere was unreal. I rode over to watch the start before settling in back at base to follow the coverage shouting at the screen like a true fan. Sophie absolutely smashed it finishing 17th (and 2nd gravel pro)! That result only fuelled our motivation for Sunday.

Then it was our turn, Harry, Meth, Jenson and me. Four Ribble Outliers ready to give it everything. After warm ups we squeezed through the crowds into the start boxes. Riders were being called up one by one, names like Pidcock, Mohorič, Politt, and Vermeersch. The tension was thick enough to cut with a chainring. Then the gun went.

Chaos. Pure chaos. The race exploded from the first pedal stroke, elbows out, gravel flying, riders fighting for every inch of tarmac. Crashes left and right before we even hit the first climb. From my start position around 55th I had to surf the madness and somehow stay upright. The first corner onto gravel looked like a warzone, riders and bikes everywhere, but I made it through in one piece.

Fifteen kilometres in I regrouped with Harry and we worked together to hold the back of the lead group. The pace was relentless, a mix of road race aggression and gravel grit. As gaps formed I dug deep to stay with the second group on the road by the end of lap one. Two and a half laps to go and I was already thinking, how on earth am I going to survive this?

The next 100 kilometres were a blur of attacks, chasing, cornering, and constant surges. Our group was chasing the leaders, we could literally see the TV helicopter circling above them in the distance, taunting us. Whenever the road tilted down or the gravel got rough I used every bit of technical skill to move up. There were water bottles flying everywhere, riders puncturing, others crashing, I just kept it smooth and stayed focused.

The Ribble Ultra Grit performed flawlessly, zero mechanicals for any of the team all weekend which is unreal at a race like this. Huge credit to our mechanics and sponsors for making sure our setups were bulletproof.

Up front the big names were lighting it up. Vice World Champion Florian Vermeersch attacked with Biesterbos, Politt, and Van Tricht. Eventually Vermeersch went solo, a move that stuck, riding to an incredible win ahead of Biesterbos and Mohoric.

For me the fight never stopped. With 18 km to go we hit the brutal Bronsdalweg climb, a two minute wall that could make or break your race. 410 watts average, peaking at almost 700 watts, and that was after 4700 kilojoules of effort. Somehow I hung on. From there it was flat out dash to the finish, head down, legs screaming.

After our big group sprinted for 31st place I crossed the line in 59th place, completely empty, astonished with what the last five hours had looked like, but grinning ear to ear. I didn’t quite match my start number, but I could not have asked for much more. Representing Great Britain in the elite World Champs race, finishing strong and ending the year on such a high, it was a great way to close out the season.

The 2025 Worlds was fast, unpredictable, and full of passion. What a way to finish the year. Roll on 2026.